Pathfinder - The Cavalier Handbook

Disclaimer

I will use content from the core rules, but will intentionally omit any content not published
on the official Pathfinder SRD due to the
unmanageable volume of non-SRD content, and the wildly varying quality of non-SRD content.
If you would like me to write handbooks for specific content not published on the official
SRD, please email me and I will consider it on a case-by-case
basis. I will use the color coding scheme which has become common among Pathfinder build
handbooks. Also note that many colored items are also links to the Paizo SRD.

Red: Bad, useless options, or options which are extremely situational.

Orange: OK options, or useful options that only apply in rare circumstances

Green: Good options.

Blue: Fantastic options, often essential to the function of your character.

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both recently added to the SRD. I'm excited to explore them, and I am actively working
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Introduction

Where the Fighter's roles are purely combative, the Cavalier is much more tactical
and intellectual martial class. With an interesting mix of options, the Cavalier can
succeed as a Defender, Face, or Striker, and includes a few Support abilities attached
to the Cavalier's banner.

Cavalier Class Features

Hit Points: d10 hit points like nearly every other
front-line class.

Base Attack Bonus: Full BAB.

Saves: With heavy armor and no need for Wisdom, the
Cavalier really needs help with Reflex and Will saves.

Proficiencies: .

Skills: 4+ skill ranks and all of the skills to be
the party's Face, but almost no other skills. Remember that your choice of Order
will add two additional class skills.

Challenge (Ex): Similar to the Paladin's Smite Evil,
but the damage doesn't double against major foes, and you lose AC instead of getting
a bonus to AC against the target. Note that your choice of Order adds additional
effects to your Challenge.

Mount (Ex): The Cavalier's combat tactics are, as you
might expect based on the name, centered around mounted combat, and the Cavalier's
Mount is an essential part of those tactics. For help with the Cavalier's Mount, see
my Practical Guide to Animal
Companions.

Order (Ex): Cavalier Orders define the Cavalier as much
as a Wizard's school defines the Wizard. Orders provide a collection of abilities and
two additional class skills. For help selecting a Cavalier Order, see my
Cavalier
Order Breakdown.

Tactician (Ex): Teamwork Feats can be very good, but
at first level you won't qualify for anything particularly interesting. For help with
Teamwork Feats, see my
Practical Guide to Teamwork Feats.

Cavalier's Charge (Ex): Mounted charges are the Cavalier's
first and best option in combat, and this makes them even better.

Expert Trainer (Ex): The bonus to Handle Animal is
nice if your GM knows (and follows as written) the mounted combat and animal rules.
Animals usually freak out and run away when wounded, and you need to make Handle
Animal checks to keep them in combat. This bonus to Handle Animal can help make your
mount more reliable. The ability to train stuff faster is very situational.

Banner (Ex): A fairly small and situational bonus, but
charging is big part of the cavalier, and
You count as your
own ally, so you get the bonus to charges too.

Bonus Feat: You only get 3, but bonus feats are always
welcome, especially for feat-heavy builds like mounted combat.

Greater Tactician (Ex): By this level you can qualify
for a lot of interesting Teamwork Feats, and granting them as a Swift Action means
that you can do it at the beginning of every combat.

Mighty Charge (Ex): Doubling the threat range on your
lance won't help you much, but a free combat maneuver on a successful charge can be
very helpful. Even if you haven't put any effort into it, a Trip attempt will give
your mount a nice +4 bonus on your mount's attacks (if any), and will make it easier
to move away unchallenged. If you enemy is prone, they will also have more trouble
moving out of the way of your next charge.

Demanding Challenge (Ex): If you have other weapon-based
characters in the party, this is a nice way to bring down major enemies with big
AC's.

Greater Banner (Ex): The bonuses against charm/compulsion
covers nearly every Enchantment spell and effect. The ability to wave your banner and
provide rerolls on saves is huge. You can allow rerolls against domination, poison,
disease, or any number of other horrifying effects. This is especially useful against
effects which only allow one save at the start of the effect.

Master Tactician (Ex): Another improvement on tactician,
this time you can grant any two Teamwork Feats which you know, not just those granted
as bonus feats by Tactician.

Supreme Charge (Ex): Remember that multipliers always
stack additively, so if you have Spirited Charge and a lance you now deal x4 normal
damage. 4x normal damage will match (or likely exceed) the damage of a fighter making
a full attack with a two-handed weapon, and is considerably more reliably because you
don't depend on iterative attacks made at -5/-10/-15. The ability to stun the target
on a crit is nice, but with a 19-20 threat range on your lance it's hardly reliable.

Abilities

The Cavalier's abilities fall somewhere between the Fighter and the Paladin. Melee
combat defines the Cavalier, but Charisma helps the Cavalier function as a Face and
adds to many Cavalier Order abilities.

Str: As a primarily melee character, Strength is your primary
ability. You can use a lance one-handed while mounted, so the difference between
16 and 18 strength isn't big enough that you need to bend over backwards to hit 18
at level 1.

Dex: Dexterity adds to Ride and the Cavalier's bad
Reflex saves, but because the Cavalier is likely in full plate you likely won't have
high Dexterity.

Con: As a front-line martial character, hit points are
essential.

Int: Only needed for skill ranks. Dump as low as you
can while still maximizing your essential skills.

Wis: Only needed for Will saves, but the Cavalier is
very vulnerable to Will save effects, and needs all the help it can get.

Cha: The Cavalier can serve as a Face, and many Order
abilities depend on Charisma. You don't need nearly as much as a Paladin, but 14
Charisma will go a long way. If you don't play a Face and avoid Orders which require
Charisma, you can dump Charisma to 7.

25 Point Buy

20 Point Buy

15 Point Buy

Elite Array

Str: 18

Dex: 12

Con: 14

Int: 13

Wis: 13

Cha: 14

Str: 16

Dex: 12

Con: 14

Int: 10

Wis: 13

Cha: 14

Str: 16

Dex: 12

Con: 14

Int: 10

Wis: 11

Cha: 12

Str: 15

Dex: 12

Con: 14

Int: 8

Wis: 10

Cha: 13

Races

The Cavalier is flexible, and can take benefit from a wide variety of races.

Dwarf: Better suited to the Fighter, but still a very
durable option. If you don't plan to play a Face and don't mind avoiding Cavalier
Orders which depend on Charisma, the Dwarf can be perfectly viable. The Dwarf favored
class bonus improves Challenge damage, which can be very deadly.

Elf: Nothing useful for the Cavalier.

Gnome: Small size means that you can use medium mounts
and ride around in spaces fit for humans without issue. Bonuses to Constitution and
Charisma are helpful, and the penalty to strength is easy to overcome. The Gnome
doesn't have any abilities specifically useful to the Cavalier, but the Gnome's
alternate racial abilities offer some useful options. Unfortunately, the Gnome
favored class bonus is terrible.

Half-Elf: A flexible ability bonus is always nice, and
the Dual-Minded alternate racial trait really helps with the Samurai's poor Will save.
Use Adaptability to get Skill Focus (Ride). The Half-Elf favored class bonus is terrible,
but you can take the Human favored class bonus instead to boost your banner bonus.

Half-Orc: On par with the Half-Elf. The Sacred Tattoo
alternate racial trait can go a long way to help with the Cavalier's bad saves,
especially if you combine it with the Fate's Favored trait.
Darkvision is always welcome. The Half-Orc favored class bonus is terrible, but you
can take the Human favored class bonus instead to boost your banner bonus.

Half-Orc:

Halfling: Similar to the Gnome, small size is great
for Cavaliers. The Halfling's Dexterity bonus is wasted, but rearranging abilities
allows you to improve Intelligence or Wisdom. The Outrider alternate racial trait
is also tempting. Unfortunately the Halfling favored class bonus is very difficult
to use.

Human: Always a fantastic option, and the Human favored
class bonus dramatically improves the effectiveness of the Cavalier's Banner.

Feats

Horse Master: If you plan to multiclass, Boon Companion
will likely work just as well while allowing you to trade in Expert Trainer for a
more interesting ability in a Cavaier archetype.

Mounted Combat: The basis for the Cavalier's
combat tactics.

Mounted Archery: Worthless.

Mounted Shield: Mounted Combat allows you
to protect your mount with your Ride skill, and unless you spend a lot of
resources on your mount's AC your shield bonus is unlikely to be enough to
protect it.

Trample: Very situational.

Trick Riding: Fantastic, but it limits
you to light armor, which can be hugely problematic.

Mounted Skirmisher: This feat is
easy to misinterpret. This does not allow you to make a
full attack on a charge. A mounted charge is still a full round
action. This just removes the limitation that you can only make
one melee attack if your mount moves more than a 5-foot step.

Unseat: Worthless, and ridiculously
situational.

Ride-By Attack: Charging and riding past
enemies is the biggest part of mounted combat. It prevents enemies
from full attacking you, and may prevent them from attacking you at
all.

Spirited Charge: This adds a huge
pile of damage.

Weapons

Lance: Spirited Charge and a lance are a deadly
combination, and the Cavalier's tactics are built around the use of a lance.

Longsword: An iconic weapon for western horsemen,
but mechanically inferior to the Scimitar.

Scimitar: The Scimitar was historically engineered
for what you might call a ride-by attack.

Armor

Four-Mirror: The biggest AC bonus you can get at
start.

Heavy Shield: Works with a lance, and provides a
nice AC bonus.

Full Plate: Your long-term armor.

O-Yoroi: If you have 14 Dexterity (Halflings might),
O-Yoroi could be a nice option, but most Cavaliers will stick to Full Plate.